Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

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Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby Toxophilite » Thu Mar 25, 2010 12:33 am

Well at long last I've solved one. :D I was beginning to think that the password checker didn't work.

Just a reminder of the clue:

Image

If you're as old as I am there is no need to Google the first part of the riddle "will you still need me, will you still feed me" - they are the lyrics of a particularly awful Beatles song called "When I'm Sixty-Four". Realising this and seeing the word 'Liverpool' near the pyramid it is tempting to think that it has something to do with the Beatles e.g. a song that made number 7 in the English charts, but having made little progress on this idea I decided that it was probably only the number '64' that was important.

As with a lot of cryptic clues the punctuation and grammar is not quite correct. The theme is actually based on a 13/14th. century English chronicler and Benedictine monk named Ranulf Higdon. ( :roll: No I'd never heard of him either). He took the monastic vow at the monastery of St. Werburgh in Chester in 1299, and it is said that he lived at the monastery for sixty four years. Hence the meaning of 64, and the pyramid is actually positioned on Chester. The image file associated with the clue contains Higdon's initials RH.

So what is this strange image ? Well believe it or not it is a medieval European map of the world known as a mappa mundi. The red semi-circular blob at bottom left is actually England and you can read Northampton as one of the towns. I think the other red shape that looks like an arm with an open hand is supposed to be the Red Sea. Obviously not a navigational map, more of a political map. The significance of this particular mappa mundi is that it appears in Ranulf Higdon's most important work, a chronicle of historical events called the Polychronicon. A potential password in its own right, but not correct.

Polychronicon was originally written as seven volumes as a sort of homage to the seven days of creation according to the book of Genesis. The text 'number 7' in the riddle identifies this.

The next block of the riddle should be read as 'in English who was responsible'. Higdon wrote in Latin, so this part of the clue is hinting at the person who was first to translate the Polychronicon into English. This was a Cornishman by the name of John of Trevisa.

So this only leaves the final and most important part of the riddle 'where was the canon ?' Well obviously not the weapon due to the spelling. The canon is actually John of Trevisa who in 1390 gained a Canonry at Westbury on Trym, now part of Bristol.

So not a long fancy word like Polychronicon, the solution was in fact the three words that were most appropriate: Westbury on Trym.

I think maybe this could explain why it's taken so long for a pyramid to be solved. If you're anything like me you've been focussing on long unusual single words as has been the case with solutions seen so far, rather than what best suits the riddle.

I would have preferred to have solved a real pyramid and used the key, so I will be buying another ISIS to get on track for gold coin number two. :D

If you are interested these two Wiki references cover the main points of the riddle and contain a link to the full image of the Mappa Mundi.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranulf_Higdon

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_of_Trevisa

Thank you very much Sonic Warp :D
Last edited by Toxophilite on Tue Mar 30, 2010 10:44 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby Driver » Thu Mar 25, 2010 11:10 am

Very well done Dave, like you say, pity its not a real one, the key bit really would have been the icing on the cake especially after all that hard work.
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Re: Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby Dooners » Thu Mar 25, 2010 4:07 pm

yeahhhh congratulations :D
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Re: Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby LouIsis » Thu Mar 25, 2010 8:23 pm

Congratulation!

The first person in SIXTEEN MONTHS to solve a pyramid riddle!

Pyramid 51 is still online though, maybe I'll give it a try...
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Re: Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby Toxophilite » Thu Mar 25, 2010 11:02 pm

M Irannejad hasn't been on the list for sixteen months have they ? I thought that was fairly recent, just didn't see the story.

I wouldn't recommend testing the system to see if it still accepts the password because if it does it will lock your Isis out of the adventure, and PUZZ knows I've already solved it. :lol:
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Re: Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby LouIsis » Thu Mar 25, 2010 11:27 pm

You are right, aparently another (non virtual) pyramid riddle was solved less than 4 months ago, and we never heard or read the story on this forum. I guess pyramid 51 will soon go offline.

It's great to read a true solving story, after the somewhat mysterious events involving mr. Irannejad, mr. Stone, mr. Rainaldi, and mr. Folkerts.
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Re: Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby Karen_G » Sun Mar 28, 2010 8:40 pm

Congratulations Toxophilite :) and wow that was a tough one!

Best of luck with the next pyramid you go for,

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Re: Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby Lodgecrest » Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:05 pm

Well done, I may get started looking at the pyramids again...I did get quite far on the South wales one...

Anyway well done it's great to hear that one of these has been solved again..
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Re: Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby matt_p_dales » Fri Apr 02, 2010 11:41 am

Can I just point out people are still making attempts on this Pyramid is there any reason that it has not been removed.

I am correct in saying there is only 1 Gold in a virual pyramind yeah ?????

Do they send you they coin I take it ???
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Re: Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby Toxophilite » Fri Apr 02, 2010 4:32 pm

The virtual pyramids are a one off gold coin and cheque for £250 which I am assured by Andrew were sent to me by registered post over a week ago, but I haven't received them yet :evil:

The Real Yorkshire Pyramid was showing password attempts for quite a long time after the gold coin was claimed and the solution was posted on the forum. I guess a lot of Adventurers just don't participate in the forum.

The other thing I've noticed with VPs is that if you make a free guess via the "Claim your Reward Option" and get it wrong it doesn't get logged as an attempt. So I think that if an attempt is logged, someone has paid for it.
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Re: Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby Toxophilite » Tue Apr 20, 2010 5:17 pm

The original cheque and coin appeared to have got lost in the post but the problem has now been resolved and at last the coin and money have arrived:

Image

Ironic with the all the mystery winners that have appeared on the list in the past that I'm still not on there :lol:

Anyway this one is definitely solved so don't waste your money on the password checker.

Thanks again, Sonic Warp
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Re: Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby matt_p_dales » Tue Apr 20, 2010 9:00 pm

Nice to see a Gold coin :D

Congrats, make sure your name appears on the winners board though you deserve it :D :D
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Re: Virtual Pyramid 51 Solved

Postby dinoklein » Wed Apr 21, 2010 3:19 pm

Hey Congratulations!!!

I'm quite impressed by your story. Somehow I don't have the feeling this will help me find a Pyramid password myself...but one can try. :D

Have fun finding and solving your first real gold pyramid!!

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